In the town of Tombstone Gap, the sheriff confronts desperado Whip Savage in a draw and is shot dead. With no lawman to take his place, Savage then decides to take the job himself and soon deputizes all of the local crooks into a posse that and abuse their power to terrorize and take what they want from the people. Meanwhile, Kid Colt has been captured by a posse who are about to hang him when his horse Steel manages to buck away from the hangman's noose and help his master escape. The marshal stills the posse's guns having heard stories about Kid Colt's good deeds and thinks that the gunslinger might not the killer he's made out to be. Reaching safety, Kid Colt then cuts his bonds and continues on his travels.

Back in Tombstone Gap, a young Jim Rogers is put into tears when one of Whip Savage's men shoots his horse after it is hitched on the sheriffs hitching post. When the boy and his father try to stand up for themselves, the boy is pushed in the mud and Mr. Rogers is threatened until Whip intervenes and gets his man to stand down. As Mr. Rogers leads his son away he tells the boy that someday someone bigger than Whip Savage and his men will come and ride them out of town. Just as he is telling this Kid Colt enters town deciding that Tombstone Gap might be a good place to lay low for a bit. When he spots another one of Whip Savage's men giving the Rogers trouble, he gets involved, knocking out the thug off his horse with a single punch. When the bruiser pulls a gun, Kid Colt realizes his have been confiscated when he was arrested earlier and is shot in the arm and passes out from the wound.

Hours later Kid Colt awakens in the Rogers shack and finds that he has been patched up by Mr. Rogers and his son. Spotting that Jim's father has a pair of Colts, the Kid borrows them and learns about what is going on in town. When Kid Colt enters the saloon to face Whip Savage, the marshal who attempted to hang him is there and is not surprised to find Kid Colt among the "snakes" who run Tombstone Gap. When Whip Savage welcomes Kid Colt because of his outlaw status, Kid Colt tells him that he does not deserve his sheriff's star and rips it off. Whip then uses his whip on Kid Colt, who does not flinch, and then grabs the weapon from his opponents hand and starts to whip him back. As Savage cowers on the floor, one of his men tries to step in but the marshal knocks him out.

When Whip tries to draw and shoot the Kid, Colt is faster at the draw and shoots him dead. Later, Kid Colt gives the reward money to Mr. Rogers who uses it to get much needed eye glasses and a new sheriff is installed in town.

In a saloon located in Roaring Gultch, a sickly man is attempting to interest men in digging in his mine, but nobody is interested in helping him out for free. When the Gouger and his men try to rough the man up, Kid Colt steps in and saves the man. The sickly man tells Kid Colt that he has a mine that is rich in minerals but is too poor to hire miners and also needs the money to treat his medical condition. Kid Colt tells the man that he cannot help out since he too is broke and knows nothing of mining.

Later, Kid Colt overhears the Gouger's men talking about stealing the from the sick man's mine. When Kid Colt expresses an interest one of the men tries to attack him with a knife, but the Kid easily disarms him and draws on them. Realizing they are dealing with Kid Colt, they agree to let him on their job based on his outlaw reputation. They all sneak out to the mine in the night and begin digging for gold. When they find the jackpot, Kid Colt then uses his guns to scare away the gangs horses. When they start questioning him he responds with guns blazing gunning down the gang members. The Gouger survives and challenges Kid Colt to a fight one-on-one. The two struggle, with the Gouger almost succeeding in gouging out the Kid's eyes. Kid Colt wins the fight, sending the Gouger falling off a cliff to his death. Later Kid Colt takes the gold that was uncovered and delivers it to the sickly man.

Tex Morgan and Lobo ride into the town of Clear Creek on the way to Blue River Country. Noticing that the locals are jumping they learn from one of them that people have gone missing near a ghost town called White Man's End. Tex and Lobo decide to go and investigate. When they arrive at the ghost town it begins to rain and the pair seek shelter in one of the abandoned building for the night. As the bed down for the night a menacing figure sneaks into the building and clubs them both and carries them to a nearby cave.

When Tex and Lobo revive they are confronted by a massive man named Franklin who accuses them of coming to town to try and steal his gold and that he intends to kill them. Just then a gang of men interrupt and talk him out of killing their prisoners just yet. The gang leader tells them that Franklin has gone mad but is the only one who knows the location of his hidden gold. They have befriended him in order to trick him into showing them where it is and that they've killed everyone who has stumbled into the area. They are then left alone with Franklin as guard. Tex manages to break free of his bonds and untie Lobo. They are then attacked by Franklin, but Tex manages to beat him in a fist fight. When the other gang members arrive, Tex and Lobo shoot them dead. Fearing that someone will steal his gold, Franklin rushes deeper into the mine and falls to his death down a pit.

With the mystery solved and the possibility of gold questionable, Tex and Lobo ride out of the ghost town.

A fire rages in the woods outside Valley City, apparently set by a man named Hooks Wehl who is seeking to destroy the city if his ransom is not met. Nearby, Kid Colt rides into the area and is soon taken prisoner at gun point by the mayor and his posse who accuse Colt for lighting the fire. Colt is locked in the local jail where he is awaiting execution despite his demands for a fair trial.

Trapped in his cell, Kid Colt whistles for his horse Steel. Steel comes crashing into the deserted sheriffs office and brings the jail keys to his master. Kid Colt rushes to the nearby hotel and stands by an outside window and overhears the mayor talking with Hooks Wehl. As it turns out the mayor has been embezzling money from the city's coffers and has hired Hook to make the ransom demands and destroy the city in order to also destroy the damning evidence. Before Kid Colt can do anything he is knocked out from behind by one of the mayor's men.

With Kid Colt prisoner again, the mayor decides to use TNT to blow up the local dam and frame Kid Colt for the destruction. The drag him up to the local dam, when Kid Colt revives he condemns the mayor for his action and is punched out for his trouble. While the mayor goes to collect the ransom money, Kid Colt is tied to a tree while the TNT is being set up. When the ransom money is paid out, they untie Colt and demand that he pull the plunger that will set off the TNT. The Kid fights back and when the mayor attempts to set off the explosives himself, Kid Colt shoots the ignition wire rending the plunger useless and guns down the mayors gang. Wounding the mayor, Kid Colt turns him and the ransom money over to the sheriff and explains everything before riding off into the range once more.

Kid Colt rides into Junction City where he turns his horse over to a blacksmith to get re-shoed. He goes to a local saloon where they are offered to drink with a pair of sailors named Snake Crosby and Bos'n. When Kid Colt refuses to drink, Bos'n tries to stab Kid Colt with a knife, but the Kid easily beats him in a fight. The two sailors flee the bar vowing to get revenge against the Kid.

That night as Kid Colt is on the way to pick up his horse he is clubbed from behind by Bos'n and Snake. They drag him in the back alley behind the Express Office where the two sailors kill the night watchman and rob the place leaving Kid Colt behind to take the rap. As the Kid revives he is found by the sheriff who arrest him. Wanting to get back at the sailors and make them face justice, Kid Colt tricks the sheriff into coming close enough to the bars to choke him out. When the sheriff passes out the Kid steals his keys and frees himself. Remembering the sailors mentioning a bar Tony's Crystal Palace in San Francisco, Kid Colt recovers his horse and rides there.

Kid Colt confronts the two sailors at Tony's, but they knock him out again. They then take him out to their ship the China Queen, intending to sail out to China and strand Kid Colt there. However, the Kid revives and shoots Snake dead and knocks out Bos'n. Kid Colt then drags Bos'n to shore with the help of Steel and drags him back to Junction City. When Bos'n revives, Kid Colt knocks him out again and leaves him with a note for the sheriff explaining that Bos'n was responsible for killing the watch man.

Notes

The story "Colt-Quick Killers for Hire" was retold in Wild Western #24 in a two part story "Whip Savage" and "The End of Whip Savage!". Not a full reprint, as the artwork was redone by John Romita.